Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 produces R-bodies, extendable protein polymers with roles in host colonization and virulence

Bryan Wang, Yu-Cheng Lin, Alejandro Vasquez-Rifo, Jeanyoung Jo, Alexa Price-Whelan, Shujuan Tao McDonald, Lewis M. Brown, Christian Sieben and Lars E. P. Dietrich ()
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Bryan Wang: Columbia University
Yu-Cheng Lin: Columbia University
Alejandro Vasquez-Rifo: University of Massachusetts Medical School
Jeanyoung Jo: Columbia University
Alexa Price-Whelan: Columbia University
Shujuan Tao McDonald: Columbia University
Lewis M. Brown: Columbia University
Christian Sieben: Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
Lars E. P. Dietrich: Columbia University

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract R-bodies are long, extendable protein polymers formed in the cytoplasm of some bacteria; they are best known for their role in killing of paramecia by bacterial endosymbionts. Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14, an opportunistic pathogen of diverse hosts, contains genes (referred to as the reb cluster) with potential to confer production of R-bodies and that have been implicated in virulence. Here, we show that products of the PA14 reb cluster associate with R-bodies and control stochastic expression of R-body structural genes. PA14 expresses reb genes during colonization of plant and nematode hosts, and R-body production is required for full virulence in nematodes. Analyses of nematode ribosome content and immune response indicate that P. aeruginosa R-bodies act via a mechanism involving ribosome cleavage and translational inhibition. Our observations provide insight into the biology of R-body production and its consequences during P. aeruginosa infection.

Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-24796-0

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24796-0

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